Bedtime Stories
by FairyTailxoLove
Summary: Gajeel has a nightmare, and Levy knows the cure. GaLe. One-Shot. R&R!


_Ivan grins, his eyes blazing._

"_Think you can fool me, Gajeel?"_

_Gajeel stood up straight, his red eyes dark, jaw set, his black, long, spiky mane giving him a menacing effect._

"_Took you long enough to figure out I was a double agent, Ivan. I've left Fairy Tail now. There's nothing and no one you can hold against me." He smirked defiantly._

_Ivan feigned surprise._

"_But my boy…I don't need to hold anything against you. You are essentially useless. Useless to me, to those Fairy weaklings…useless to the one who trusts you most." Ivan's lip twitched, his gaze lowering._

_Following his line of sight, Gajeel looked down, his eyes widening in horror. There was no more Gajeel Redfox. How he managed to still stay standing, he did not know. He was a gaping, bloody chunk of meat. He could see his innards hanging out and with a trembling, bloody hand, he forcefully pushed them back in._

_Agony._

_But what was worse? The true horror of horrors?_

_His nakama, sprawled on the ground before him. Mutilated, decapitated, ravaged…there was so much blood. Lily, Titania, Salamander, Bunny Girl, Juvia, Stripper Boy…and what truly sent him over the edge of insanity?_

_The Shrimp –Levy- at his feet; open, blank eyes staring up above. Her blue hair was barely noticeable since it was matted in blood…God, there was blood everywhere. Those lips, which were once pink and soft…which would jut out in a pout, which would purse, which would curve upwards…those lips were blue._

_Those brown eyes; always kind, always clever, always understanding, always looking at him…would never look at him ever again._

_He felt himself shaking horribly. He was choking, unable to get her name out into the open. He dropped to his knees and howled a mournful, heart-shattering cry._

"ARGHH!" Gajeel shot up, his clothes drenched in sweat. His heart was going a mile a minute and his pupils were dilated.

_Ivan…Fairy Tail…Levy…_the words processed through his brain and he shuddered.

He squinted in the dark, feeling around him. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself on the cold floor in Fairy Tail…it was probably sometime around 4 in the morning.

"The fuck—Why am I here?" He grumbled, as memories of fighting Salamander…getting hit…and blacking out passed through his mind. He let out a low hiss, disgruntled by his groggy state.

Abruptly, there was a _thud_, and a soft pitter-patter noise. Gajeel strained his sensitive ears, tensing. Sniffing the air, he blew out a breath. He smelled her before he saw her; the smell of parchment and ink, mixed with something he couldn't classify but immensely liked…her natural scent.

Her natural scent held innocence, mischief, knowledge, and spirit.

"Hello?" A small voice rang out into the large, dark room. He saw her from his position on the floor; tired brown eyes, a pale, rosy face, and the word '_Light_' lit up, hovering above her.

"Oi. Shrimp." He called, as she passed right by his spot. Levy whirled around, and relaxed, smiling pleasantly.

"Gajeel! What are you doing here?"

"Could as the same for you. And I was…sleeping." He said shortly, grimacing as he remembered his dream. He effortlessly jumped to his feet, towering over her petite stature.

"Oh." Levy looked away from the intensity of his face, feeling heat course through her…_just from being looked at by him!_

"I was er—reading a book in the library and uhmm…lost track of time…and I hear a scream?" She zeroed in on his face, craning her neck.

"Just…had a dream." He murmured gruffly.

"_You?_ Had a nightmare?" She asked incredulously.

He glanced at her, marveling at how different she looked in the dream. Catching the troubled flash that flitted through his eyes, she had an idea.

"Hey, you know what will help?" She asked soothingly, softly placing a hand on his forearm. "A bed-time story."

Gajeel jerked away from her, snorting.

"It's true!" She said stubbornly, puffing out her cheeks in indignation. "I read to myself when I have nightmares, and they disappear!" She tried reasoning.

Gajeel quirked an eyebrow, amused. "You have nightmares? Of what?"

She suddenly stiffened, looking at the ground to avoid facing his curious stare.

"Ano…"

It suddenly it him. She had nightmares of _him_. When he was still in Phantom Lord, when he had beat her, bruised her, and shamelessly hung her to a tree, for all of Magnolia to see.

_And I'm still here, wanting her…badly._ He looked into those hopeful eyes and relented with a heaving, resigned sigh.

"Alright Shorty. Tell me a story."

She chewed her lip nervously, intimidated by his intense gaze but at the same time thrilled. After letting bygones be bygones, she had discovered –to her great amazement- her harbored feelings of attraction towards the pessimistic Dragon Slayer.

For weeks, she tried getting his attention, to no avail. She fretted, she felt insecure, jealous of her more…_curvy_…nakama, and she felt downright petty. But here he is! Looking at her, noticing her…just the two of them, in the dark.

A light pink blush graced her cheeks and she shyly looked up at Gajeel.

"Well, you see. For it to actually work, you need umm…a bed, and comfort, and—KYA!" She yelped as he grabbed her around the waist, hiking her over his shoulder. She blushed crimson and began to feel her ears heat up.

"Ga-Gajeel!"

"Quiet." He grunted.

She huffed, but didn't say a word.

As they walked down the dark road, Gajeel replayed her face in his mind. Illuminated by the candle light of her solid script _'Light'_, her face had an orange glow, her hair so dark, it seemed almost indigo…and her eyes were a buttery light brown, as she glanced up through her lashes…

Gajeel shook his head, fighting the want that was being emitted out of him in palpable waves.

Levy, on the other hand, was dazed. She had always wanted a prince who would scoop her up and carry her off. Although, she never imagined it being this unrefined…but she liked it. This was no fictional book she was reading…this was _her_ story. She smiled, delighted by the turn of events as she spotted Fairy Hills.

"Hold on tight, Shrimp." Gajeel murmured in a low, deep voice. He changed her position, so he was now giving her a piggy back. She giggled at this, trying to muffle her laughter into his broad shoulder. He held in a shudder as he felt her warm breath seep into his shirt, her lips pressed against skin.

Pushing aside those thoughts, he stealthily ran to the wall of Fairy Hills, and began to climb up to her window.

"How do you know where my room is?" She whispered in his ear, perplexed.

"…"

Gajeel chose to pretend not to hear the question.

As they entered her room, Gajeel smiled gruffly at the sight of the towers of books occupying every space available. It was so…Levy.

"Shorty, you do realize this is a safety hazard, right?" He scowled. She stuck out her tongue in response, and led him to another room. It was mostly taken up by books, but somewhere in the chaos laid; a small, neat bed, a desk, and a bedside table filled with a lamp, her magic reading glasses, and more books. The sight of the bed stopped him.

"I don't want go to sleep." He mumbled petulantly. He definitely wasn't up for Round Two of that horrible nightmare. Levy hooked her small arm around his large bicep.

"It's alright, Gajeel. I'll be here with you. And you promised that I could read you a story. _Please?_" She asked sweetly, her wide eyes deliberately blinking at a steady pace, up at him. He growled deep in his throat and crossed his arms. The short, aggressive not did not fail to go noticed by her.

She smiled softly. "Alright, now get into the bed and get comfy…KYAA!" She yelped for the second time that night, closing her eyes.

Gajeel had shrugged off his shirt, leaving his bare-chested and stepped out of his pants, leaving him in boxers. He them proceeded to slide into her bed, pulling up the covers and grinning devilishly at her tomato-red face.

"Gihihi. You told me to get comfy. And this is how I usually sleep."

Levy sighed and stood up straight. "Fine. I'll go get changed too."

Gajeel didn't need to wait long, for she scurried back quickly. The bandana was out of her hair, leaving it wavy and loose. She wore a large t-shirt and shorts that made Gajeel swallow hard.

She giggled at the sight of him in her tiny bed; he was so big, his feet had stuck completely out of the covers and off the bed.

"All you need now is a cute, stuffed animal, and you'll look picture perfect." She grinned widely.

"Then come over here." He purred, through heavy-lidded eyes. She stopped laughing.

"What?"

"C'mere. I won't bite. Gihi." He grinned a razor-sharp smile. Levy gulped, and slowly made her way over to the bed.

Gajeel raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was just kidding, with her joining him and all. But this did make things take a…pleasant turn.

"There's no way that I'll fit! You're taking up the whole space." She grumbled. A hand shot up out of the covers, and pulled her to him. She gasped, as she felt skin on skin.

Indeed, he took up the whole space on her singled bed, so she was nestled on top of him; a pathetically light, warm weight…no different from Pantherlily. Well, aside from the fact that he was attracted to the Bookworm.

_What? You think it's weird for a man to sleep with his cat? WELL REAL MEN CUDDLE WITH THEIR CATS._ Great, Elfman's rubbing off on everyone.

Gajeel pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the legs that were currently tangled against his, the flushed cheeks, and the erratic heartbeat of hers, which he could feel through her shirt.

"Get comfy, Shrimp." He grunted.

"R-right." _How the heck did things get this fast?_ She shifted slightly, her cheek resting on his chest, and tentatively put her arm around his front. His right arm curled around her, holding her to him, as his left was thrown casually behind his head.

"Now, the story."

_Gosh, he can be pushy. _Levy shuffled through her books. Her eyes landed on one particular book, and her eyes lit up. It was her favorite book, and perhaps it had enough action to keep Gajeel interested. She wondered how he would react to a love story.

"Once upon a time—"

"—You can't be serious—"

"Once upon a time!" She said louder. "There was a young princess, who lived in a large kingdom filled with crime. Evil lurked around every corner, but she paid no attention—"

Hours passed, and Levy smiled warmly as Gajeel lay there, absolutely still, paying precise attention to every word she spoke.

_Gottcha._ He was _so_ hooked to this novel.

"She watched, helplessly screaming and kicking, confined by one of the men, as they dragged him away. Those dark, deep eyes locked onto hers one last time. She desperately drank in the sight of his dark, curly hair, shadowed eyes, and scarred skin. His lips formed her name, just as the cell door swung with a bang, leaving her in the dark. She never felt more useless."

Abruptly, Levy closed the book as Gajeel's eyes popped open.

"What the hell, Levy? What happened next?" He growled.

She grinned. "It's almost dawn, and you need some sleep."

He snarled at nothing in particular, feeling rather furious.

"Sleep. Now. You're all crabby." She poked him, and he reluctantly lay back down.

She cuddled against him, fearing the morning light that approached her window. That night with Gajeel had been amazing, and she didn't want him to leave, to go back to looking at her without seeing.

"Uhmm…Gajeel?" She bit her lip, closing her eyes.

"Mhhmm?" He replied back drowsily, half asleep.

"Do you want to…umm…come over tonight? We can maybe read some more together?"

She kept her eyes closed as he stared down at her.

"Yeah…I'd like that." He said with a touch of softness in his voice.

A burst of warmth shot through her, and she fought back a smile.

"So…are you over your nightmare?"

"What nightmare?" Was his reply.

"Good night, Gajeel." She yawned sleepily, finally beginning to snooze.

Gajeel opened an eye, and then the other. Of course, he didn't forget his nightmare. And the story she told didn't really help it, as she had claimed it would.

As she spoke, Gajeel had kept his eyes trained on the mass of blue hair, tilting this way and that. In fact, all he could think about was the nightmare.

However, as she told him the bedtime story, he thought of something.

In his nightmare, he thought that leaving Fairy Tail and Levy would keep her safe.

But the truth was that keeping her close would keep her safer.

"Guess bedtime stories _are _good for something."

Not that he'll ever admit that to her, anyways.

**LALALALALA, done! Yay, my first One-Shot!**

**I got this idea from well…myself. Whenever you have a nightmare, do you wake up in the middle of the night, turn on a light, and read a book? Or when you can't sleep?**

…**Or is it just me and my weird nocturnal habits? I don't know!**

**I hope you enjoyed this!**

**-FairyTailxolove**


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